Being a hero is about burrowing deep into yourself reaching to discover the part of you that is anchored in faith and in your values. A hero knows he/she chooses to be in control of his/her fear.
The day the "household name" hero died.

What makes a household name a "household name" hero? Some say it is any person who applies rational virtue to achieve rational value at least 67% of the time no matter how difficult or fear filled the task may be. A person who becomes a household name as a hero betters himself/herself by doing the right thing at the right time while benefiting others in the process.

Being a hero is about burrowing deep into yourself reaching to discover the part of you that is anchored in faith and in your values. A hero knows he/she chooses to be in control of his/her fear. A hero recognizes and takes responsibility for his/her actions.

Today we lost 7 fellow human beings each one a hero:

RICK DOUGLAS HUSBAND (COLONEL, USAF) NASA ASTRONAUT PERSONAL DATA: Born July 12, 1957, in Amarillo, Texas. Married. Two children. He enjoys singing, water and snow skiing, cycling, and spending time with his family.

WILLIAM C. MCCOOL (COMMANDER, USN) NASA ASTRONAUT PERSONAL DATA: Born September 23, 1961 in San Diego, California. Married. He enjoys running, mountain biking, back country hiking/camping, swimming, playing guitar, chess.

MICHAEL P. ANDERSON (LIEUTENANT COLONEL, USAF) NASA ASTRONAUT PERSONAL DATA: Born December 25, 1959, in Plattsburgh, New York. Considers Spokane, Washington, to be his hometown. Married. He enjoys photography, chess, computers, and tennis.

KALPANA CHAWLA (PH.D.) NASA ASTRONAUT PERSONAL DATA: Born in Karnal, India. Kalpana Chawla enjoys flying, hiking, back-packing, and reading. She holds Certificated Flight Instructor's license with airplane and glider ratings, Commercial Pilot's licenses for single- and multi-engine land and seaplanes, and Gliders, and instrument rating for airplanes. She enjoys flying aerobatics and tail-wheel airplanes.

DAVID M. BROWN (CAPTAIN, USN) NASA ASTRONAUT PERSONAL DATA: Born April

LAUREL BLAIR SALTON CLARK, M.D. (COMMANDER, USN) NASA ASTRONAUT PERSONAL DATA: Born in Iowa, but considers Racine, Wisconsin, to be her hometown. Married with one child. She enjoys scuba diving, hiking, camping, biking, parachuting, flying, traveling. Her parents reside in New Mexico.

ILAN RAMON (COLONEL, ISRAEL AIR FORCE) PAYLOAD SPECIALIST PERSONAL DATA: Born June 20,1954 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Married to Rona. They have four children. He enjoys snow skiing, squash. His parents reside in Beer Sheva, Israel.

Losing a hero is hard. Losing seven is devastating. Life is tough and our heroes make us believe anything is possible with determination and the right attitude. Our heroes cup us in invisible helping hands. We look up to them as role models. We beam with pride when speaking or hearing about our heroes. We are bonded to each other by the virtue of our heroes. So, what are we to do when we lose our heroes?

Focus on why they are and were our heroes. The qualities we admired so much about our heroes could help us plod forward to improve our lives little by little. If we do the best we can with the circumstances we are given then perhaps in some way it is therapeutic in grieving the loss of our heroes.

Think what could we do to make our lost heroes proud of us?

Sherry Russell Author of "Conquering the Mysteries and Lies of Grief"

About the Author

Sherry is a Grief Management Specialist and author of "Conquering the Mysteries and Lies of Grief". She is presently working on her second book for children titled "The Life Adventures of Baby Boo and Zelda Lou". Sherry is on the Board of Advisors of The Bright Side - Wings of Support. The Bright Side is a non-profit online community providing support for anyone who is coping with emotional and/or mental difficulties.